A Cook County judge who released a man later accused of killing his wife will be reassigned from the Domestic Violence Division, Chief Judge Timothy Evans ordered this week.Judge Thomas Nowinski made the request himself to be transferred to the court’s Third Municipal District in Rolling Meadows where he will hear misdemeanor and traffic cases starting Tuesday, according to a statement released Thursday by Evans.The move stems from Nowinski electing to release Constantin Beldie, 57, on GPS monitoring after he was charged Oct. 9 with choking and attempting to kidnap his wife, Lacramioara Beldie, 54.Constantin Beldie allegedly stabbed his wife to death in the Portage Park neighborhood Nov. 19 — a day after he pleaded not guilty to felony counts of aggravated domestic battery involving choking, aggravated battery, attempted kidnapping and unlawful restraint. He was later found dead in a nearby car of an apparent suicide, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.Dozens of elected officials and advocates for domestic violence survivors called for Nowinski to be reassigned from the Domestic Violence Division after the attack. Nowinski was off the bench a week after the attack because of "anonymous threats," Evans said at the time. Investigators on scene in Portage Park where Constantin Beldie allegedly stabbed his wife, Lacramioara Beldie, to death Nov. 19. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times file In the spring of 2024, Nowinski, who was elected to the bench in 2022, also denied a protective order against Crosetti Brand — a convicted felon with a history of domestic violence, who later allegedly stabbed the woman who sought the protection and killed her 11-year-old son, Jayden Perkins.Evans’ review of the Portage Park case concluded the state’s attorney’s office gave an “incomplete presentation” during Constantin Beldie’s Oct. 9 detention hearing, failing to disclose important background information about him. Prosecutors also didn’t object to Constantin Beldie’s defense attorney’s remark that he had no prior domestic violence history and that he hadn’t violated any previous civil no-contact orders.Evans also said a GPS technician failed to notify the court about Constantin Beldie entering an exclusion zone of his GPS monitoring a day after he was released on the device. The technician was suspended without pay and has since resigned.The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, which was among one of the groups that called for Nowinski’s reassignment, said it appreciated the court’s review of Lacramioara Beldie’s death and the "commitment to strengthen the protections for survivors of domestic violence.”“Domestic violence advocates must be part of the process as reforms are proposed and implemented in all areas of our justice system,” President and CEO Amanda Pyron said in a statement. “We agree with the transfer of the judge at the center of this case and look forward to working with the State’s Attorney’s Office, Office of the Chief Judge, and the presiding judge of the Domestic Violence Division to keep survivors safe.”“This tragedy has also revealed the need for increased collaboration to improve protection for survivors of domestic violence,” Evans wrote in his statement, adding that the state’s attorney’s office will work with the court “to ensure judges are presented with complete information” about a defendant’s criminal and civil history.Currently, judges may refer to what’s called a risk assessment tool about a defendant when deciding whether to hold them in custody. That risk assessment is determined by an interview between defense attorneys and the defendant.The court will consider implementing another layer to the risk assessment tool that would involve interviews between prosecutors and the alleged victims of a case, Evans said, referring to a recommendation made by a statewide domestic violence pretrial working group.Evans also noted staffing shortages in the Adult Probation Department’s Home Confinement Unit, which administers GPS monitoring.“The court seeks to implement best practices for pretrial monitoring that include electronic monitoring, and that uphold the court’s responsibility to balance both the rights of accused and the protection of individual victims and the community,” Evans wrote.